The Great Misinterpretation: How Palestinians View Israel - Haviv Rettig Gur

This guy teaches a few dozens of students in class, though it’s also seen by over 100k people. Internet is a powerful tool.

"If you don't understand why the other side isn't stupid, you haven't done your homework." This is a great quote, and a lesson that a lot of people ought to learn.

As a non-Jew, I sure appreciated this well-delivered and interesting lecture. Thank you.

Abstract This lecture explores the Palestinian narrative of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, highlighting three recurring themes: betrayal by the Arab and Islamic world, the role of imperial patrons in supporting Israel, and the perception of Zionism as colonialism. The speaker argues that these themes, while not entirely accurate, are deeply ingrained in Palestinian history and understanding, shaping their strategies and hindering peace efforts. He concludes by proposing a "coercive nonviolent" approach inspired by Martin Luther King Jr., which acknowledges the validity of both sides' narratives and seeks a resolution based on mutual understanding and justice. Palestinian Interpretation of History * 0:41: The lecture aims to explain the Palestinian perspective on the conflict, emphasizing that their interpretation is not extremist, radical, or wrong, but based on their historical experiences. * 1:22: Three recurring themes in the Palestinian narrative are introduced: * Betrayal by the Arab and Islamic world * The role of imperial patrons in supporting Israel * The perception of Zionism as colonialism. Theme 1: Betrayal by the Arab and Islamic World * 25:40: Palestinians feel a sense of abandonment by the Arab and Islamic world, perceiving their weakness and inaction as a betrayal. * 26:18: This sentiment stems from the Ottoman Empire's inability to prevent Jewish immigration and the subsequent failures of Arab nations to effectively support Palestinians in conflicts with Israel. * 28:02: The speaker cites quotes from Ottoman leaders expressing concerns about the rising tide of Zionism and the potential threat it posed to the empire. Theme 2: Imperial Patrons * 1:07:16: Palestinians view Israel as consistently backed by powerful imperial patrons, initially the Russian Empire due to the influx of Russian Jewish immigrants. * 1:07:42: This perception extends to the British Empire during the Mandate period, then to Germany in the 1920s with the arrival of German-speaking Jews, and eventually to the United States from the 1970s onwards. * 1:11:37: The speaker discusses instances where Arab leaders attributed Israel's strength and survival to external support, such as Egypt's declaration of war in 1948 framed as a fight against "communist atheism." Theme 3: Zionism as Colonialism * 1:24:25: Palestinians perceive Zionism as a form of colonialism, drawing parallels with European imperial projects in other parts of the world. * 1:25:05: The speaker cites a footnote from an Israeli geographer who argues that Zionism resembles colonialism in various aspects but with key differences, such as the lack of a "colonial mother country" and the historical connection of Jews to the land. * 1:26:36: This perception of Zionism as colonialism fuels Palestinian resistance movements and shapes their strategies, including the BDS movement, which aims to isolate Israel on the international stage. Towards a Resolution * 1:31:59: The speaker critiques the "decolonization" rhetoric used by some activists, arguing that it misunderstands the nature of the conflict and reinforces the Palestinian misdiagnosis of Israel. * 1:32:07: He proposes a solution inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.'s concept of "coercive nonviolence," which involves acknowledging the legitimacy of both sides' narratives and seeking a resolution based on mutual understanding and justice. * 1:40:13: This approach requires a shift from a zero-sum mentality to recognizing the "tragic" nature of the conflict, where both sides have valid grievances and aspirations. * 1:42:29: The speaker suggests that by understanding the Jewish experience and the historical context of Zionism, Palestinians can move beyond their current narrative and engage in more constructive dialogue towards a peaceful resolution. i used gemini 1.5 pro to summarize the transcript Token count 25,277 / 1,048,576 =

I’m a non-Jew progressive American and this is the lecture I’ve needed but never knew it. Not just because of your stories, but how it makes me look at my own. Thank you. ❤

Excellent lecture. Having said that, the British defense of El-Alamein wasn't primarily intended to protect the Jews of Palestine but to protect the land route to India, where the Nazis had many sympathizers among the independentists (including Gandhi). The protection of Palestine's Jews was a side effect of this mission.

Awwww man! I have such deep respect for you Haviv. Your are intelligent, erudite, passionate. I wish every University student in the WORLD could hear you speak 🔥

Among Arabs and Palestinians there is a pervasive myth that almost all Israelis are dual citizens anyways, that they actually belong somewhere else and CAN go somewhere else. A Jordanian roommate in my dorm was complaining about Israel during a discussion and I asked her about her solution to the conflict. She plainly said that all Israeli Jews had to leave Palestine. She justified it by telling that almost all Israelis supposedly had dual citizenship anyways, so that it wouldn't actually be a big problem for them. I think it encapsulates exactly what Rettig Gur enumerated and explained well.

“Our right to defend ourselves from extermination does not give us the right to oppress others. Occupation leads to foreign rule. Foreign rule leads to resistance. Resistance leads to repression. Repression leads to terror and counter-terror. The victims of terror are mostly innocent people. Holding on to the occupied territories will turn us into a nation of murderers and murder victims. We must leave the occupied territories immediately.” -Shimon Tzabarr

As a foreigner who has lived and volunteered in the Palestinian city of Nablus, and also travelled to many other parts of the West Bank and Israel to visit Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and nonreligious friends, I am inspired by the idea offered at the end of this lecture about shifting perspectives on the conflict from a hateful zero-sum game to a tragic conflict with a possible solution. Recognizing valid points, grievances, and aspirations on both sides, with various forms of justice and injustice, and a willingness to compromise, and the recognition of mutual humanity and indeed numerous cultural, linguistic, religious, and historical overlap, then open, compassionate, and well-informed dialogue could actually lead to peace. It gives me a glimmer of hope when there is so little right now. Thanks for this knowledgeable, incisive, thought-provoking, balanced, and entertaining lecture.

(clipped from Naomi Klein's book). Hitler claimed it was now Germany’s turn to engage in cleansings and mass relocations on its own frontier. “There is only one task: To set about the Germanization of the land by bringing in Germans and to regard the indigenous inhabitants as Indians,” Hitler said in 1941.

This guy makes me want to go back to college.

Great breakdown of history and understanding. I did a ton of research the last 4 months, and this still managed to bring a few very new perspectives I hadn't taken into account or heard anyone mention yet! Thank you. We all need this.

didn't mean to watch almost two hour long lecture rn but omg was that interesting

This was outstanding. I knew a lot of the separate events but hadn’t seen them all in context happening sequentially. I really enjoyed that.👍

The wounded pride, the admitted weakness, the humiliation of loosing to the “poor refugees”, sadly, is not just a Palestinian story. It’s the source of the world’s oldest hatred. Amazing lecture. Thank you.

Rettig Gur makes a similar mistake to those that mark the beginning of the Zionist movement to BILU and also is mistaken by saying 19th Jewish immigrants to the land of Israel were not ideological. The first modern wave of aliyah began in the early 1800s with the chug of the Vilna Gaon. While we might not describe them as ideological Zionists, they made aliyah for religious, i.e. ideological, reasons. The Chovevei Zion, who predated BILU, were also religiously motivated as were proto-Zionist Rabbis Kalisher and Mohliver. The first modern Jewish settlement was Petach Tikva, founded in 1878 by members of the old yishuv, which was primarily religious. A few years before that, religious Jews from Yemen started making aliyah by foot. Yes, many of those early proto-Zionists were refugees, escaping persecution, but they didn't go just anywhere. Rettig Gur stresses how most early Jewish migrants to Palestine were refugees, not ideologues, but then makes the point how they weren't interested in going to Greece or somewhere else within the Ottoman empire - they wanted to go to Eretz Yisrael. They were refugees, but with a very specific destination in mind. His solution is for the Arabs to not see the conflict as a zero sum game, to see the Jews instead pitiful refugees, deserving of their compassion, not a free people with the right of determining their own destiny, deserving of respect. Rettig Gur doesn't mention it but the Arab world, at least least since the 1930s, under some influence from the Nazis, have seen the Jews as the power behind imperialism and communism, sort of uber imperialists who get the great powers to do the Jews bidding. That actually fits hand in glove with the idea that it is the feeling of humiliation from Islamic and Arab weakness in the face of the Jews' success, the uppity dhimmis who dare to claim title to something wakf, in Muslim domain, that continues the conflict. Perhaps the reason why the Palestinian elite has gone from seeing Russian, then British, then Communist, then British, French, and ultimately American imperialism behind the Jews is that they don't want to admit how that feeling of weakness undermines their religious faith as Muslims. Rather than address the fact that Zionism's success challenges some of their beliefs as Muslims they'd rather blame imperialism and colonialism. That those terms resonate with the academic world of the west allows them to avoid addressing those facts.

Do you think there's ever been any classrooms in Gaza having conversations like this? I doubt it.

Thank you for this analysis and explanation. I have been suffering so much pain from these events and I didn’t understand the depth of these emotions. It is complex. You have helped me so much! Blessings to you

This was amazing! I needed this.